🏔️ Buddhist Cosmology

Mount Meru - The Cosmic Axis

At the center of Buddhist cosmology stands Mount Meru (Sumeru), an immense mountain surrounded by seven concentric rings of mountains and seas. The sun and moon orbit around Meru, which rises 84,000 yojanas (approximately 750,000 miles) above sea level and descends equally far below. The Four Great Kings guard the four cardinal directions, and the Heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods (Tavatimsa) sits atop the summit.

Beyond Meru lie four continents in the four directions, with our world (Jambudvipa, the Rose-Apple Continent) in the south. This entire system constitutes one world system, and countless such systems fill the infinite universe, each with its own Mount Meru, continents, hells, and heavens.

The Three Spheres

The 31 realms are organized into three major divisions representing different levels of attachment:

• Kama-loka (Desire Realm): 11 realms where beings experience strong sensory desires and physical existence—6 hells, the animal realm, hungry ghost realm, human realm, asura realm, and 6 deva (god) realms
• Rupa-loka (Form Realm): 16 realms of refined material existence where beings have subtle bodies and exist in states of deep meditation, free from gross desire but still possessing form
• Arupa-loka (Formless Realm): 4 highest realms where beings exist as pure consciousness without any material form, in states of abstract meditation

No Realm is Permanent

All 31 realms are part of samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Even the highest god in the formless realms will eventually die and be reborn elsewhere. Immense lifespans in the higher realms can be obstacles to practice—with billions of years of pleasure, beings forget the urgency of liberation. The Buddha taught that the human realm, despite its suffering, offers the best opportunity for enlightenment.

Rebirth According to Karma

Rebirth in these realms is determined by karma—intentional actions driven by greed, hatred, and delusion lead to lower realms; actions of generosity, morality, and wisdom lead to higher realms. But actions alone don't guarantee escape from samsara. Only the realization of nirvana—the cessation of craving and ignorance—offers liberation from the cycle.

Impermanence Even on Cosmic Scale

Buddhist cosmology teaches that even the universe itself is impermanent. World systems arise, endure, decay, and are destroyed in vast cosmic cycles. During the dissolution phase, all beings in lower realms die and are reborn in higher realms until only the formless realms remain. Then the universe reforms, and beings descend again. This has happened countless times and will continue indefinitely.

Multiple World Systems

The Buddha spoke of countless world systems scattered throughout infinite space, each with its own Mount Meru and set of realms. Buddhas appear in different world systems when beings there are ready for the dharma. This prevents any sense that one's own world or planet is the center of existence.